


The Words

by Amaria_Anna_D



Series: The Words Verse [1]
Category: Daredevil (Comics), Daredevil (TV), Punisher (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-01 03:40:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6499363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaria_Anna_D/pseuds/Amaria_Anna_D
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by Oddthesungod's amazing art on Tumblr.<br/>In a world where neither man has suffered the tragedies that turn them into vigilantes, Matt and Frank have found more happiness together than either man had ever believed possible. Frank is ready to pop the question but something always gets in the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Scariest Part is Letting Go

The Words

 

For Oddthesundgod who’s amazing art has stayed with me to the point that this fic took like. I hope it is up to par with what she was hoping for.

 

Part 1: The Scariest Part is Letting Go

 

Frank wanted three things at the moment: a beer, his dog, and Matt. If he could have all three of those things on his couch in his sweats, even better. Instead, he had taken a small detour after his plane landed. The jeweler had called to let him know that the ring was ready, and after nearly three fucking months of planning and paying the damn thing off, he was sure as shit going to pick it the second his feet hit the New York pavement. He groaned to himself as he forced his aching bones to get out of the car and into the pouring rain. It only took about five steps to get inside the shop, but that was enough to leave him soaking. Adding another beer to things that he needed, he made his way to the counter.

The girl behind the counter couldn’t be more than nineteen. His trained eyes told him that she was about five-seven and maybe a hundred pounds tops. Her chipped, manicured nails drummed against the counter lightly. By habit he also noticed there were six security cameras in the room and they’d done a shit job of hiding the panic triggers under the counter. It wasn’t that he wanted to notice any of this, but years in the desert hunting scumbags in fatigues and years in the bureau hunting scumbags in a suit had left him with a habit of picking up on his surroundings even when he was off the clock. That natural paranoia was heightened by the enormity of what he was about to do this evening, and he had to force himself to focus on the task at hand.

“Is Moses in?” he asked, startling the sales girl out of her cheap heels.

She looked up at him with wide brown eyes, as she noticed him for the first time and pasted on a smile that probably worked on most customers. “I do apologize, sir. I didn’t hear the bell when you came in,” she rambled, straightening her jacket needlessly. “Mr. Coleman isn’t here. Is there something I can help you find?”

Frank tossed his final receipt on the counter. “I have a special order for Castle.”

She must have noticed the dollar amount on the bottom of the ticket because she let out a satisfied purr. “Lucky girl.”

“Something like that,” he muttered with a chuckle as she scurried back to get his order.

“I see that Mr. Coleman left a note to have you inspect it before you left tonight,” she said, setting a little velvet box on the counter.

Even though he wanted nothing more than to toss the damn thing in his pocket and bolt back into the rain, he forced himself to open the box. What glinted back at him was the down to the exact detail what he’d asked Moses for. He was suddenly more nervous than he’d been on the plane to the fucking sandbox. “Looks good,” he said shoving it in his pocket.

“Don’t you want me to wrap it?” She held up a bit of ribbon and paper for his inspection.

“No need. Tell Moses, I said he did a damn good job. “

Leaving the salesgirl to gape after him, he pushed back out into the rain and into the waiting cab. The tiny box felt like a fucking bolder against his hip, but he ignored it and tried to picture the whole scene of what was going to happen tonight in his head. He’d made reservations at Matt’s favorite hole in the wall Indian place and even made sure to have those ugly ass flowers that Matt loved the scent of delivered to the restaurant to be put at the table. The only thing he didn’t have planned to the last detail was just how the fuck he was going to say it. He was never really that good at romantic speeches. In fact he was pretty sure that the word “fucking” was part of the first time he told Matt how he felt about him. He walked the whole way to his their condo rehearsing cheesy ways to get it done, but the second he opened the door, the whole plan fell apart.

Matt and Max were both standing by the door as he opened it. Max launched his slobbery self right into Frank’s crotch, licking his master’s hands and letting out soft groaning sounds. Being both human and more restrained, Matt leaned against the entry way that sexy smile of his and an open bottle of Frank’s favorite beer.

“Welcome home,” he said in a sultry voice. In that instant all of the shit that he’d been carrying with him from the crime scenes and files from the two weeks before and all of the nerves drifted away. He reached his arm around Matt’s slim waist and pulled him against his wet body. It still amazed him how well one person’s form could fit so well to his own.

“Christ, I missed you, Red,” he murmured before slamming his lips and tongue against Matt’s. The smaller man melted against him. Frank couldn’t help his hands from drifting to the firm, rounded ass that fit so well in his grasp. He wanted nothing more than to drop his bags in the foyer and drag Matt into the bedroom so he could spend the foreseeable future fucking him into the mattress and kissing every inch of that lily-white skin.

As if he was reading Franks mind, Matt pulled away and leaned into his ear. “Think you can wait until after dinner?”

“Dinner?” he repeated liking some fucking brain dead teenager. Only then did the rich, spicy scent of Matt’s signature bolengese sauce reach his nose bringing with it a sudden panic. “Uh… I thought we were going to the Taj?”

Matt held up the forgotten bottle of beer and shook his head. “Nah. I called and canceled. Tonight, you are going to spend here with me and Max. I know how you get after these long trips.”

“Sounds great.” Accepting the beer, Frank had to literally bite his tongue to keep from blurting out that the restaurant had only been part of his proposal. He followed Matt into their open kitchen and tried not to feel so damned defeated. Max pranced around him excitedly, weaving his eighty pound frame between Frank’s legs for good measure. It was hard to feel like shit when he had a boyfriend who knew what he needed after two fucking weeks of a shit show and a dog who’s ass couldn’t stop shaking with happiness that he was home.

Watching Matt move around the kitchen with ease, he pulled up a place at the breakfast bar. Neither of them really loved to cook, but Matt was much better at it than Frank was. When they’d first started dating, the sight of a blind man chopping vegetables with a nine inch chef’s blade had been enough to almost give him a heart attack. These days, he was more than certain that not only could Matt dice carrots with the best of him, but that he would bury that same knife into Frank’s palm if he ever tried to take over. He was used to Matt’s blindness and to the other quirks that they rarely talked about. In the start, both had freaked him out more than he’d ever admit. Now both were just parts of Matt.

“Catch the bad guys, Special Agent Castle?” Matt asked with a slight laugh.

“Two in cuffs and only one in the morgue. Some dip shit higher up is planning on dangling immunity in front of the two fuckers to get them to roll over on their boss,” Frank sneered. “You and I both know they’ll end up in a box before they give us anything that will lead us to the big man.”

Matt frowned. “You think whoever this guy is has that much pull?”

“Who knows? I wouldn’t have expected to see his special brand of smack as far as Boston already, so I certainly fucking don’t.” Frank took a long drink from his bottle. “How about you? Save any scumbags from a stay in Rykers while I was gone?”

With a heavy sigh, Matt began stirring the sauce a little harder than he had been before. “Foggy and I convinced Mrs. Cardenas and her neighbors to take the buy out. It doesn’t feel right, but you know how the other partners feel about our pro-bono cases.”

A timer dinged on Matt’s phone. “I guess our ten minutes are up already,” he said, silencing the device.

When it came to their beliefs on the system they both worked through, Matt and Frank had very different ideas about what real justice was. Frank supposed it came from watching kids strapped with bombs walk in to market places, from seeing his best friends blown to bits by IED’s, and from seeing the corpses left behind in the wake of gang wars that he was less than forgiving. On the other hand, Matt had never been that close to violence. His dad had been a low ranked prize fighter and occasional delivery boy for a local boss named Sweeney back in the day. Maybe the fact that Jack Murdock had turned his life around gave him the idea that just about any small time crook deserved a chance. Rather than fighting out their differences—which more often than not ended with two not speaking—they had devised a ten minute limit on any sort of work talk.

The pair settled into heaping piles of sauce and pasta and prepackaged garlic bread washed down by a couple of beers. Frank filled his plate twice more before he was done. At work, food was nothing more than fuel. He’d eat MRE’s and cold canned beans without complaint, but at home he wanted comfort food. It was like he had a second stomach only for use when he walked through his front door. He could pack away enough food to feed six if he’d let himself. Contentedly full, he pushed away from the counter and grabbed their plates.

In the end, they spent the night on the couch. Frank laid with his head in Matt’s lap and Max on top of his ribs. While he scratched at the pit’s ears, Matt ran his fingers through his hair. This was exactly what he’d needed, but he couldn’t help his thoughts from moving to the little box that he’d tucked away in his bag in the hall closet. Frank groaned as talented fingers moved to the knot at the base of his skull.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Castle?” he asked quietly. “I can almost hear those gears moving.”

“Keep touching me, Red, and you’ll find out,” Frank warned.

Matt let out a snort. “You may be horny, but there is also something in that head of yours.”

“You still got that tie floating around in your closet?” he asked, avoiding the topic.

“You really think I would keep a tie that you told me was so ‘ass ugly’ that you wouldn’t let me forget about it?” the lawyer countered smoothly. “On the other hand, it did lead to an interesting way to break the ice.”

They’d met in Rykers. Matt had been meeting with a client, and Frank was trying to grind something out of one of the scumbags he knew still had connections with the outside. It turned out to be a shit sandwich of day where the case was concerned, but he’d noticed Matt’s tie while they were each washing their hands in the men’s room. Without noticing the folded cane sitting on the counter, Frank had made a smart ass comment asking if it was one of his kids or a co-worker who he’s pissed off that had bought him such an ass ugly tie. Afterward, it took a cup of coffee and a lot of effort to get his foot out of his mouth, but Matt was right—it had been one way to break the ice.

“You’ve still got it,” Frank said with a grin.

“I’ve still got it,” Matt admitted as he leaned down to kiss Frank’s forehead. “Of course, now that I know it has pitchforks and horns on it, I’ve retired it, but it’s still my lucky tie.”

An idea struck Frank just then. “Why don’t we go back to that shitty little diner tomorrow? Take a nice little stroll down memory lane?”

“That was the worst coffee that I have ever tasted.” Matt pulled a face, but didn’t decline the offer.

“If it still tastes like shit we can stop at a Starbucks on the way back to burn the taste off of that super tongue of yours.” Shooing Max off of him, Frank looped an arm around Matt’s shoulders. “Besides, who knows the next time we’ll get a Saturday morning to ourselves?”

“Good point,” he agreed, nuzzling into Frank’s arm. “But what’s got you so sentimental? If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were going to propose.”

 


	2. Part 2: Uns[p

Part 2: Unspoken and Wild

 

With his plans to propose Saturday ruined by Matt’s suspicions, Saturday faded into Sunday with nothing worth noting besides the fact that the coffee at that old diner was still the worst shit to ever claim to come from a bean. Like they did every Sunday, Matt and Frank picked up Matt’s dad and headed to the suburbs. Ever since the divorce, Frank had spent Sunday dinners with his ex-wife and kids. Strange as it was, that tradition expanded to include Matt not long after they got together, and then somewhere along the line Jack had become a fixture in the tradition as well. It had started as a way to show Lisa and Frankie that their mom and dad still were both on the same page when it came to loving them, but had become more than just pasting a happy face on a broken relationship. Frank and Maria had become better friends over roast and potatoes once a week than they had in nearly a decade of marriage. Even more surprising was how Matt and Maria had instantly bonded into some sort of hive mind of worry and morals. “Grandpa” Jack became the third pea in the Castle kids’ pod. As much as he loved Sundays, he was not looking forward to this particular one.

The moment Jack slid into the back of Frank’s restored Impala, he gave Frank a look in the rear view that instantly said what he thought of his son’s still bare finger in the front. Jack had been been a bit stand-offish when he’d met Frank. He was still a blue-collar, Irish Catholic with a respect for traditional values even if he didn’t follow them. Even though he loved Matt unconditionally, it had taken him a while to warm up to the idea of another man sharing his son’s life. Two years later, he would gladly shove any bigoted prick’s teeth and words back down their throat if he heard them. Jack had actually teared up and hugged him when Frank had asked for his blessing to propose—not that either man would ever tell a living soul.

The looks continued when Maria opened the door. Frank had let her know it was happening just to see how she thought the kids would take it… Of course, she’d smacked him for even asking and reminded him how much the kids loved their Uncle Matt. She arched a blonde brow at her ex-husband as he walked by, but thankfully didn’t hit him again or say a word.

Dinner itself went by in a flash. Honestly, Frank was a hundred times more annoyed with inability to propose than Jack or Maria could ever be. He wanted to make things official as soon as possible. Shit, he’d hop a plane to Vegas as soon as his fucking credit card cleared if he could just find a way to pop the question. Next to his kids, Matt was the center of his universe. He’d never been more sure of anything in his life than he was about spending the rest of his days as Matt’s husband. But how the hell was he going to ask? His good ideas had come crashing down around his ears. With Maria, things had been easy. She’d been knocked up and, as barely more than kids, neither of them knew a fucking thing about what it really meant to swear to “so long as you both shall live.” He’d spent enough time beating the shit out of himself for those mistakes, but Matt was different. It wasn’t just the change in gender. There was something more between them than a bit of affection and a positive pregnancy test. Matt was his soul mate. He deserved the perfect proposal even if he wouldn’t get a perfect husband in Frank.

“Stop thinking so hard, Mr. Castle,” Maria said as she slid up beside him on the back porch with a cup of coffee. “I don’t want you to burn my house down.”

“I bought the god-damned place. If anyone is going to burn this fucker, it’s me,” he grumbled.

The corners of her mouth quirked up. “That’ll be two dollars in the swear jar. And I got this place in the divorce, fair and square.”

“Here’s a twenty, Mrs. Castle.” He fished in his pocket and handed her the bill. “Got a lot of swearing left to do before this day is out.”

“That bad?” she asked wincing as she shoved the bill in her back pocket. “Not that the kids’ college fund doesn’t appreciate the donations, but I’d hate to think things were that bad.”

He took a long drink of his coffee and watched the kids wrestling with Jack in the yard. Matt was in the living room on the phone with one of his law partners who didn’t believe in days off so it was probably safe to talk, but he was having a hard time finding the words. Finally he shrugged. “There are a lot of things that I want to fix this time around, and I’m not so sure I’m doin’ much of a job of it.”

“You’re a good man, Frank. You weren’t the best husband to me, but I wasn’t the one you were meant to be married to. What makes you think things will go back to what we had once you marry Matt?” Maria fixed him with one of her knowing smiles that he alternately loved and hated. “He’s not me, and you aren’t the boy you were when we married.”

“Do you ever regret sayin’ yes to some dumb-fuck kid two weeks out of boot?” he asked thinking back to the day they’d gone to the courthouse. “You could have saved yourself a hell of a lot of heart ache and worry if you’d say no.”

She shook her head. “Lisa got eight years with her Daddy in the same house out of the deal. Frankie is here because I said yes. And me? I got one hell of a ride out of it. I don’t regret any of it.”

“You can take that buck out of my twenty,” he teased.

“I forgot how generous you were,” she bit back, rolling her eyes.

“I just want to do it right this time, you know? Laugh about it if you want to, but I’m not good at this romantic shit. Matt’s the one who remembers our anniversary and notices the little things. He doesn’t even seem to mind when I would rather stay home and watch hockey than spend a night out. For all of the crap I put him through, he deserves to have me get something right on my own.” Frank leaned on the railing and stared at the shrubs below. “I should know how to fucking propose to the man.”

Maria’s laughter only pissed Frank off, but he bit his tongue as she kissed his cheek. “Matt is one lucky man.”

“So you think I’m worrin’ over nothin’?” he snorted, still unamused.

“I didn’t say that,” she drawled, grabbing the empty cup from his grasp and moving to the door.

“Now I know why we’re divorced,” he called after her retreating back. Holding up the middle finger, Maria kept on walking with the swish of her hips that he used to find so sexy. She was one hell of a woman, and he silently wished that she’d find someone who deserved her.

Not long after Maria had gone back inside, Matt made his way onto the porch beside Frank looking exhausted. Somehow Jeri Hogarth could leave him more drained by a half hour phone call than a day at the office buried in a paper work could. Leaning his forehead against Frank’s shoulder, Matt let out a groan. “Remind me again why I joined this firm?” he asked.

Frank chuckled. “Because you make my salary four times over and then some? Also, I think you just like having the proverbial shit kicked out of you.”

“So you’re saying I’m a masochist?”

“If the rosary fits,” the larger man teased as he pulled Matt into a one armed hug. “Always thought good Catholic boys and law school didn’t mix.”

“Who said I was a ‘good’ Catholic boy?” Matt whispered huskily into Frank’s ear.

“God damn, Red. The things you make me think about,” he murmured in reply.

Thankfully, they managed to talk their way out of the evening a little early. Frank was sure that neither Maria nor Jack bought that Matt needed to brush up on a case by morning. The old boxer had “generously” offered to stay with the kids and watch the Lego movie then take the bus home. He’d eyed Frank expectantly as the pair walked to the door while Maria smirked in agreement beside him. Between the two of them, he felt like a fifteen year old taking a girl to fucking homecoming while her parents fussed and took pictures.

“Something wrong?” Matt asked as they drove.

Over the last two years, Frank had learned that lying to someone who could hear your heart beating was a stupid fucking move. Not that he ever really _wanted_ to lie to Matt, but he’d learned a thing or two about redirection from their relationship. He was a pro at phrasing things so delicately that the traitor in his chest didn’t even skip a tick. It came in handy when Matt asked questions that Frank really didn’t want to give the full answer to—like how close a bullet had come to his head or how dangerous the person he was tailing truly was. “Nah. Not really wrong,” he said after a long minute. “I was just talking to Maria about some mistakes that I made when we were together.”

The answer seemed to be good enough for Matt because he merely smiled and slide his hand on top of Frank’s on the gear shift. “We all make mistakes when we’re young.”

“How about I drag your ass into the bath tub when we get home?” Frank asked, thinking back to one of the things he’d fantasized about back on the porch. “Been a while since we just relaxed.”

“Mmmm,” Matt moaned with a smile on his face. “That is an understatement. And I can think of nothing I would like more than to be naked with you in a nice hot bath.”

The moment they got home, Matt’s clothes began to practically melt off of him as he showered kisses on Frank’s face and neck. It took all of his well worn restraint for Frank to keep his on. While Matt was obviously thinking about sex, Frank was already picturing lighting those candles he liked so much and claimed smelled like honey—not that Frank smelled anything even when he shoved the damn wick to his nose—and sliding the ring on Matt’s soapy finger. “Go run the water and put that girly shit in it you like,” he said roughly as he managed to pull away just a bit. “I’ll put on some music and grab a bottle of wine.”

“Wine?” The instant Matt’s brows shot up, Frank knew he’d tipped his hand.

“Thought we’d change it up. Plus warm beer tastes like shit,” he added. “Don’t worry, Red, I ain’t getting all sophisticated on you.”

Frank barely let out a breath until he heard the water running from their palatial bathroom. He took his sweet time getting the bottle of wine, making sure to be sly about grabbing the ring from his bag along the way. On his way in he lit several candles, knowing that Matt’s delicate nose would smell them even in the other room and put on a play list they both liked on the stereo nice and low. He was so focused on what he was about to do that he almost didn’t notice the gray dog sitting in the door way with his favorite rubber duck squeak toy. Rolling his eyes at the decidedly-unromatic-yet-fitting image of the dog watching them, he side stepped Max.

Matt was bent over the king sized tub “testing the water” when Frank opened the door, his perfect ass was displayed over the ledge, perfectly in the air for his viewing. Arching his back toward his lover, Matt gave a little shimmy of his hips as Frank set their wine on the ledge. “I could smell how much you wanted me,” he purred.

“Christ, Matt, I’ve been scraping myself raw in my jeans thinking about you all day,” Frank growled back smacking one of the offered cheeks soundly. “I wanted to carry you the back seat of the car and fuck your brains out. Did knowing that turn you on?”

“Yes,” the blind man replied with a chuckle. “I love knowing you’re thinking about me.”

Without another word, Frank scooped Matt up and deposited him the tub, wasting no time sliding in behind him. “One of these days, Red, you’re kill me from wanting you.”

Matt laughed and nipped at his ear lobe. “Can you think of a better way to go?”

“Not a single one,” Frank agreed as he cupped water in his hand and let it drip down Matt’s forehead. “I’ll be ninety and still wanting your sweet ass.”

Slender fingers reached between their bodies and began stroking the length of Frank’s hardening cock. It was amazing how Matt seemed to sense the precise place to touch to make him go crazy—that alone was a superhero power if Frank ever heard of one. He moaned as a smooth nail trailed down the underside straight to his balls. His head was spinning and they hadn’t even been in the bath five minutes. “Slow down,” he managed to mumble in a gravelly voice.

“Can’t handle it, tough guy?” Matt smirked.

“Oh, I can handle it. I just want to savor this a bit longer.” Before Matt could reply, Frank grabbed the bottle of shampoo and dumped a bit in his hand. “It’s been a while since we did this.”

He began to work the lather into Matt’s scalp, smiling as Matt’s toes began to curl from where they were hanging on the edges of the tub. Frank never hesitated to use his extra sensitive skin against him. Small touches could make Matt go crazy in ways that were just too damn fun not to test. The moaning sounds that he made as Frank worked the suds against his skin should be illegal. Without even so much as a sip of the wine, Frank was nearly drunk on it. Letting more water pour out of his hand, he rinsed the dark hair beneath his fingers and nearly came as Matt’s fingers found his cock again.

“Stand up,” Matt commanded in a voice that didn’t seem open to the word no.

Leaning against the tiled wall behind them, Frank stood with his feet on either side of Matt’s thighs. Matt took his thick shaft deep into his throat and began to suck. His tongue and soft lips began to move softly over the base of Frank’s his cock and then worked their way outward. The tip of Matt’s tongue swirled over the tip then caressed. Feeling lightheaded, Frank let out a muffled cry as he was pulled deep inside again. For the next few minutes, he was flying. He’d never felt ecstasy like what Matt did to him. With a roar, he finished and felt each drop from his body drained into Matt’s welcoming mouth. He laid his head against the wall.

“Marry me, Red,” he said hazily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

The Truth Can't Hurt Us Now

 

Flat on the mat at Fogwell's gym was not the best place to be thinking about his current relationship predicament, but oddly enough that was exactly what he was thinking as he tried to force his ears to stop ringing. Somehow the first thing that had popped into his head once he was able to think again after Jack had landed a hard right to his ear was that he'd much rather take a beating from “Battlin'” Jack Murdock every day for the rest of his life than ever relive the horror of realizing that he had proposed while his dick was still in Matt's mouth and the chuckle that had come in response. _“Do you ask all of the guys who rock your world or just the blind ones?”_ Days later those words were still a constant echo in his brain. Shaking his head, he took the hand that was stretched out before him.

“God damn, Castle. You should have seen that one comin' a mile away. I'm old and slow,” Jack scoffed. Though he kept his tone light, he was giving Frank a discreet look over to make sure he didn't have a concussion.

“You may be old, but you still hit like a fucking mack truck,” Frank muttered as he stripped off his practice gloves.

“Used to hit like a freight train,” the old boxer bragged. “I'd say you've had enough for the night.”

Jack and Frank had been sparring every Thursday they could for over a year. At first, it had merely been a way to get off Jack's shit list. Frank had done enough combat training that he thought he could handle one washed up prize fighter, but it turned out boxing was a different beast than what he'd anticipated. Fifty-four may be ancient by professional fighter standards, but Jack still moved quicker than most men half his age and could dole out hits that would send a blistering message when needed. Frank could now admit with no shame that Jack had more than a thing or two to teach. Truth was, that hit Frank had taken hadn't even been that good of a punch. If his mind hadn't been elsewhere, he could have dodged it easily.

The pair headed back to the shoe-box sized office Jack had in the back. He'd bought into Fogwell's not long after his last shot at the middle weight title, and after making partner at the firm, Matt had bought the rest. A gym once known for shady deals and rigged matches had managed to shake off the stigma of it's past and become a respected and profitable business. On top of training several contenders, the gym offered a wide variety of beginner and amateur classes. They even had community out reach program for at risk youth. If only Frank didn't know what it had taken for Jack to get where he was...

Jack pulled a hidden bottle of bottom shelf scotch from behind a shelf and poured them each a healthy dose into worn old coffee mugs. “Judging by the fact that Matty ain't said a word and you look like some one kicked your fucking puppy, I'd say you pussied out.”

“Just didn't go how I'd hoped.” Frank snorted into his drink and downed half of it one go. “He didn't say no, but he didn't exactly take me seriously.”

“Sweet Christ, you didn't propose during sex, did you?” Jack's expression was a mixture of horror at the thought of his son and Frank together and amusement at the situation.

“Yeah, well, I'm outta here,” he grumbled before downing the rest of his drink. “Thanks for kicking my ass, old man.”

When he got back home, he found that Matt was still at the office. He made himself a cup of cofee and settled at the breakfast bar with his laptop open and Max curled on top of his feet. He typed the words “romantic proposals” into a Google search and began scrolling through. His eyes were instantly assailed by countless gushing tales of romance told mostly by women. A good portion of them included some beautiful back drop and a few even included surprise trips to Paris. Frank doubted the view of the Eiffel Tower or the Sienne would do him much good with Matt. Also, the main reason that the majority of the proposals he read about or watched on Youtube were personal. He wanted to do something special for Matt, not rip off someone else's idea. He had no sooner shut his computer in frustration before he heard jingling keys at the door, Max shot across the room like a shot.

The door opened to reveal not only Matt but Frank and Lisa trailing behind him. “I picked up some company on the way home from the office,” he said, grinning ear to ear as the kids instantly fell all over the pitbull with a mixture of hugs, kisses, and scratches.

Frank shook his head. “I guess I play second fiddle to the dog. Don't I even get a 'hi Dad?” he asked, scooping Frankie up in the air and tickling him.

“Hiya, Daddy!” the six year old squealed happily.

“Get his feet, Daddy!” Lisa cried, going straight for her brother's ticklish toes mercilessly. Max jumped and barked around them in a circle, on guard that _HIS_ puppies weren't in any trouble.

 

Dropping his son to the ground, Frank kissed both kids. “Go take your bags to your rooms while I talk to Uncle Matt for a minute.”

Matt managed to side step the jumble of shoes left by the kids in the entry way and stacked them in their place. No matter how many times they reminded them to put things away, there were always moments when kids would be kids and they would forget. “Maria and I both tried calling you. Her friend Claire needed an over night shift covered. Joe picked them up for me at school, and they've been decorating my office for the last couple of hours. I hope you don't mind.”

“Sorry, I forgot to turn my phone back on after the gym,” Frank said sheepishly. He wrapped Matt up in a hug and kissed him. “Thanks for being a good dad to our kids.”

“I'm just Uncle Matt,” he countered with obvious color raising to his cheeks beneath his usual dark scruff.

“You're more than that to those kids.” Frank kissed Matt's brow gently. “You're the one who orders books in braille and print so you can read to them with me. You go to every soccer game and play. You've held Frankie all night when he was sick and made Lisa smile after a shitty day. If that isn't a dad, then I must not understand the word.”

“It's easy to love kids when they've got all of the best of their father in them,” Matt said with a sappy smile. “You know, tomorrow's an in-service day for their school. I already told Jerri that I'd be taking the day. We'd all love it if you took the day with us.”

“Sounds good,” Frank agreed, pushing away the image of the stacks of files sitting on his desk.

Just as soon as the grin on Matt's face had come, it was gone. “Also, I think there is something we need to sit down and talk about with Lisa.”

“What now?” Frank asked with a sinking feeling in his gut.

Lisa had gone into the fifth grade this year, and it seemed her strong willed nature was coming through a lot more than it had when she was little. Maria had more than once lamented that they had named the wrong child Frank Jr. Within her first two months of the school year, she'd already had trouble with a couple of kids in her class. Now, as the year was winding down, things had seemed to be getting better, but apparently that wasn't the full story.

“Lisa will be staying home two days next week for out of school suspension. She pushed a boy out of his seat after he said something rude—she won't tell me what, but I can guess,” Matt explained with a heavy sigh.

Frank could guess too. There were a few kids in the class who's parents had been teaching them that “God hates fags” bullshit. More than once one particular boy's name had been brought up, and he was almost sure that it was the same boy she'd pushed this time. As much as he was proud of his baby girl for having the guts to stand up to bullies, this wasn't the way to do it. The worst part was that it killed him to know that his daughter was being treated like shit for something that he had caused. He'd always assumed that if there was going to be any rows over his kids having a gay dad that it would come in high school. Then again, kids these days were more aware of what went around them. They knew what it meant to have divorced parents, two dads, two moms, or adopted. When Frank was their age he'd barely cared if his friends had parents at all. Things had changed, obviously.

“ Stop that,” Matt chided gently as he traced his fingers along Frank's jaw. 

“Stop what?” Frank asked feigning ignorance.

“Stop blaming yourself. If it wasn't us, it would be another thing. Take if  f rom a kid who got knocked around quite a bit, bullies always find a reason.”

Not knowing quite what to say, all Frank could do was kiss Matt. It still amazed him that someone could know exactly what to say to him to make him feel better at almost any given time. If he didn't know better he would swear that along with the heightened senses, that Matt had gotten mind reading skills in his accident too.

“ICK!” a childish voice announced from the hallway followed by a bark.

Frankie wasted no time in scampering onto one of the chairs at the bar, his mismatched socks dangling endearingly. After he'd spotted Matt unknowingly wearing one blue and one red sock at a picnic, he'd taken to purposely mixing his. Today's selections were a green one with purple T-rexes and a gray one with Darth Vadar helmets. Anything and everything that Matt did was cool in the little guy's eyes. Frankie had already asked for a Columbia hoodie “just like Uncle Matt's” for Christmas and was using his GI Joe's to play out courtroom scenes rather than fight battles. Frank supposed some men would be threatened by their sons showing more hero worship for another man than themselves, but it actually made him proud to think that Frankie was looking up to someone as good as Mat was. He'd seen the kid enacting some of the traits that he himself was lacking in most days: compassion, understanding, and tolerance.

“Can we make pizzas again, Uncle Matt?” he asked with a smile that  displayed missing front teeth. 

“Pizzas it is, counselor,” Matt agreed with a laugh. “Where is your sister hiding?” 

Frankie shrugged. “In her room with her stupid i Pad.”

As it turned out, Lisa was indeed on her ‘stupid i Pad’ sitting cross legged on her bed when Frank knocked on the door. Less than a year ago, she would have been out in the kitchen making pizzas with Frankie and Matt or playing with those ass ugly monster dolls. She was looking more and more like a “tween” and less like his little girl every day. Lisa had been hinting that things were changing with their daughter, but he’d been fighting that realization all the way. He wasn’t ready for tampons and training bra’s yet. He’d freeze time and keep her seven years old if he could.

Lisa looked up from her eye pad and pulled her earbuds out. “Did Uncle Matt tell you what I did at school?”

“He did,” Frank confirmed, sinking onto the narrow bed beside her. “Wanna tell me what happened?”

She gave him a hard stare with eyes that were the exact dark shade of his own. “Not really.”

“Do you want me to go have a talk with your teacher? If the kids are picking on you because of me and your uncle...”

“Dad, no one cares that you’re gay anymore,” she cut in, rolling her eyes for good measure. “They stopped being jerks about that after I punched Tommy Kwan in the teeth.”

His little soldier girl was too much like her dad. Running hand through his hair, he shook his head. “You can’t go around beating people up. We talked about this before. There are better ways to handle problems.”

“Do the people you look up and hurt deserve it?” she asked ignoring him.

“That’s different.”

“Cause you’re in the FBI? And you’re an adult?”

Taken aback by the turn of the conversation, he found himself wishing Maria or Matt were there to field this one. Explaining what he did in the FBI and what he had done in the war was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He knew that his truth that some people deserved a bullet in their head or a boot in their ass wasn’t the universally accepted ‘right’ answer. Part of him wanted to tell her that Tommy Kwan was a little shit bag and got what he deserved, but he knew that it would be the wrong thing to say at the moment. Instead, he leaned his elbows on his knees and started at the light purple walls covered in glow in the dark stars for a long time before deciding how to answer.

“You know that I don’t get to make that decision about what people really deserve, right? The law is a strange thing. There are a lot of times when I think someone has done something and I would like nothing more than to see them pay for it, but it turns out the law says different. I do my best to catch the bad guys and put them where they can’t hurt anyone, and ideally, I’d do that without hurting anyone. But life isn’t always like that, you know? Not one of us gets to make the rules, enforce them, and see the sentence through. All we can do is our part,” he said thoughtfully. “The world needs people like me, but it also needs people like your Uncle Matt.”

Lisa pulled her knees to her chest. “I really wanted to beat Jose up today. He took money out of another girl’s backpack and then she lied about it. I wanted to make him tell the truth.”

“Did you tell the teacher?” Frank asked.

“I did,” she replied, balling her little fists. “But he lied! And she just bought it like some stupid broad.”

Hearing himself in her words, Frank winced. “Watch your mouth, kiddo.”

“How do you just let someone get away with doing something mean?” She was near tears by now, and he pulled her into his lap.

“I been askin’ myself that for a long time now. I wish I had a good answer for you, sweetheart, but I don’t. Best thing you can do is stand up for what you believe in, do your part and let the system take it from there. It isn’t always going to go your way, but you’ve got to remember that you might only make a difference half of the time, but it’s better than hiding your head in the sand,” he told her, kissing the top of her head.

“I’m gonna be in the FBI someday, and I’m going to make sure that the people I catch always stay in jail,” she murmured into his chest.

He cracked a wry smile. “You tell me how that works out for you.”

That evening they made personal pizzas and played a game of monopoly before settling onto Matt and Frank’s king sized bed. Frankie was nestled between Frank and Matt holding an illustrated copy of Harry Potter while Lisa snuggled up with Max on the foot of the bed under a Monster High blanket with only the tops of their heads popping out. The two men took turns reading sections of the book and before long the sounds of snores—both canine and human—could be heard. Matt smiled and set aside his braille copy of the book before gently picking the little boy up and carrying him from the room. Lisa stirred as Frank picked her up, but wrapped her arms around his neck. Left to his own devices, Max stumbled sleepily behind them.

“Mom’s right,” Lisa yawned as he laid her in bed pulling the covers up to her chest.

“Bout what?” he asked before kissing her.

“You need to get off your ass and marry Uncle Matt.” With those words, she rolled over and looped an arm around her favorite stuffed animal.

Frank would have at least told her to watch her language, but before he could get the words out, Matt was beside him leaning in to say his good nights. In the room next door, Frankie was already in a deep sleep with the blankets kicked off and a pitbull half draped across him. Max looked up at his master with eyes that seemed to be saying: “don’t wake my boy pup.” Frank shook his head at the thought of whatever poor fuck ever decided to mess with Max’s kids would look like afterward.

With the kids and dog tucked in for the night, Matt was seeing to straightening the bed back to its usual state. He’d stripped off his shirt was simply wearing a pair of boxer briefs that hugged his perfect ass. Both men usually preferred to sleep naked, but they’d found out the hard way that there was no guarantee they wouldn’t wake up to find an intruder or two in their room. Pulling off his tshirt, Frank imagined himself slipping hand inside those shorts Matt was wearing, and slid into bed.

“Thank you,” Matt said taking his place on the other side.

“For what?” Frank asked, puzzled.

“I always wondered what it would be like to be part of a family that had more than two members. Even now, I’m a little afraid to believe that I have one with you and the kids and Maria, but you made me realize that I don’t have to be. No one’s ever done anything like that for me before,” he explained laying his head on Frank’s chest.

Suddenly, Frank’s throat felt tight. “You were always the missing piece of my family, Matt Murdock—you and even your bastard of an old man. I just never knew what I needed—what _we_ needed until I met you. And God help me, if you say you want to adopt a dozen more, I’m in.”

Matt pulled himself up and straddled Frank’s hips. “Frank Castle, sometimes I wonder how I got through this life without you. I don’t think I ever could again.”

“You’re never going to have to find out, Red.”

Once the lights were out, Frank laid awake thinking. It wasn’t the most original plan ever but he now knew exactly how to propose to Matt. He just hoped he could pull it all together in one day.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Let The Words Slip Out of Your Mouth

 

Frank woke up in the morning with a fire in his gut before the sun was even fully in the sky. While Matt grumbled and rolled back over for more sleep, he went straight for the shower and then for the door the second after he’d checked on the kids. Max was the only one who even fully opened their eyes before he left. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think the damn dog smiled at him like he actually knew what his master was up to.

Thankfully, Jack wasn’t one to sleep in. Though he grumbled about being drug away from his usual breakfast of cold cereal, the minute he found out that Frank was paying for real food elsewhere he’d quit bitching. They met a greasy spoon diner still run by the Greek immigrant who’d started the joint nearly sixty years earlier. Jack seemed to enjoy making the younger man wait and insisted on finishing a full stack of pancakes, four eggs, six slices of bacon, and four pieces of toast before he would even considering listening to what Frank had to say. It wasn’t until the waitress refilled their coffees and took away both Frank’s untouched oatmeal and the remains of Jack’s feast that he leaned back with a cocky smile.

“Need an old man’s advice on how to pop the question, eh?” he asked.

“Who the fuck said I needed your advise?” Frank scoffed.

The grin slipped away from Jack’s face. “Then what the hell did ya’ drag me out of bed for?”

“I need you’re help putting a few things together.” Pulling out an envelope he’d scratched down his list on, he slid it over the table. “If I start getting this shit, he’ll know somethings up.”

Jack slipped on a pair of readers and looked over the list, scratching his chin. “I know a couple o’ guys who owe me a favor a two, but this still won’t be cheap.”

“Fuck, of course you know a guy, you mick bastard.” Fishing out his credit card, he held that out too.

“God damn, whops. You’re one to talk,” Jack spat with a hearty chuckle.

“Really think you can pull this off in a day?” Frank asked, suddenly worrying that it was too much to do in not enough time.

Slipping the card into his pocket, Jack shrugged. “Did I ever tell you I’d do something and not deliver? You do your part, and I’ll do the rest.”

“Look Jack, I really appreciate...”

“Shove that appreciation up your ass, Castle. You’re gonna be my son soon, too—not soon enough if you’d ask me. Family takes care of family.” Jack’s light eyes stared him down in a way that even Frank wouldn’t argue with. He knew when a dad put his foot down, he meant business.

“You know, I always wondered if my old man woulda felt about me and Matt as you do,” the younger man mused, brushing off the tightness in his chest. “A lot of guys wouldn’t have accepted it.”

“I think I knew Matty liked boys before even he did. Not gonna lie and say I didn’t wish things were different back then, but then I saw him with one chick after another. None of them ever made him happy as you do. You know as well as I do that any father that isn’t happy to see his kids happy ain’t worth the word,” Jack said shaking his head. “Your old man would of come around.”

Frank wasn’t so sure but nodded anyway. He reached for the check and headed for the door before he said anything else that would embarrass him. “See you at seven.”

By the time he made it back home with a bag of bagels the whole family had made their way to the kitchen and the adjoined living room. Frankie, Lisa and Max were on the couch watching the movie with the little yellow babbling assholes while Matt was leaning on the counter waiting for the coffee machine. His hair was still standing up in places, and he’d thrown his favorite hoodie on with a pair of plaid sleep pants. He looked adorable when he was half awake.

“I come bearing bagels,” Frank announced setting the bag on the counter.

“Mmmmm,” Matt intoned closing his eyes and leaning back to enjoy the scent. “You even remembered to have them bag my cinnamon ones separate from your everything ones.”

“Sure did,” Frank said with a chuckle as he leaned in to kiss him. It would have been a much deeper kiss, but it didn’t take Matt’s pumped up ears to here the thunderous footsteps heading toward them.

“What other kinds are in there, Uncle Matt?” Frankie asked with the kind of glee that no one over the age of twelve ever seemed to get. Even Lisa seemed excited to see if he could actually tell what was in the bags by scent alone. While they didn’t know the full extent of Matt’s enhanced senses, the kids often liked to play games seeing just how much he could find out with out his sight.

Matt grinned and scrunched up his nose for show. “I’d say there is a blueberry or two in there along with an asiago. And...hmmm...a plain one.”

“No chocolate chip?” Frankie’s face fell.

“AHA!” the blind man cried out for show. “So that’s what the last one is!”

The kids laughed and started tearing into the bags to find out if Matt was right—which he almost always was. With coffee in hand, the adults took their places beside the kids at the breakfast bar and the eternal fight over who got the toaster first began once again. Frankie tore into his coveted chocolate chip bagel without toasting it or even cutting it and began tearing little bits out with his fingers. Lisa ate hers like her her dad; everything bagel toasted dark with a pile of cream cheese that could put the dairy farmers out of business. The four of them debated where to go for the day between bites.

They ended up going to a movie about a bunny who wanted to be a cop. Frank and Lisa took turns narrating to Matt. Though Frank’s eyes were open and pointed toward the screen, he couldn’t say he was actually watching the movie. Instead, he was mentally ticking off items on the list he’d given to Jack. Maybe he was putting too much faith in the old man, but something in his gut told him that he’d come through. The rest of it…well, he could hope it all worked out. Using the excuse of getting a free refill on his bucket-sized soda, he snuck out into the hall to check his phone. He’d sent out a blitz of texts and emails while Matt had been in the shower. Things seemed to clicking into place perfect, but knowing his luck, he shouldn’t count on it.

After the movie, they went back home to pick up Max before heading to the park. The kids were fussing over the dog and arguing over who would get to hold his leash when Matt cornered him. “What’s wrong?” he asked with his jaw set. “And don’t tell me there isn’t anything going on.”

“It’s nothing to worry about, Red. Your old man and I grabbed coffee, and he gave me something to think about—nothing to get your panties twisted,” Frank added, trying to cover his nerves with a chuckle.

“I call bullshit,” Matt grumbled.

“Will you drop it if I promise to tell you before we get into bed tonight?” he pleaded. After all of this, he _couldn’t_ mess this up again. His heart felt like it was about to leap in his throat as he watched the play of emotions move over Matt’s features.

“All right,” he agreed sullenly. “But so help, Frank Castle, I your ass will be sleeping with Max for the next month if you lie to me.”

Thankfully, the tension between them seemed to ease at the park. The walked hand in hand a little behind the kids who were still warring for control of Max’s leash. For his part the pit loped around them in circles and kept trapping them in the length of the leash. Frank supposed he should say something to the kids about clowning around, but the kids’ good-natured bickering and the dogs barking excitement brought a smile to Matt’s face. Without any discussion on where to go, their feet led them all to the benches near the carousel with the men taking a seat on the bench while the kids continued playing with the dog.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been here,” Frank murmured, breaking their silence.

Matt shrugged. “It’s been a while since we’ve gotten to take a whole day together without something coming up.”

“Someday I want to take a real vacation—not just a day in the park. I want to take you and the kids somewhere special.” Frank was already picturing a quiet stretch of tropical beach in his mind.

“Disney?” Matt asked with a smirk.

“Fuck Disney,” Frank grumbled as the image of white sand slipped away. “Did that over priced bullshit when Lisa was six and Frankie was still in a stroller. Never again, Red.”

Letting out a hearty laugh, Matt leaned against his partner’s arm. “When I was really small, I remember begging Dad to take me. Best we ever did was Coney Island in the summer.”

The kids raced up to the bench with Max on their heels. Lisa was giving him that look that said she was going to ask something, and Frank was already reaching for his wallet when Frankie began babbling about wanting to ride the carousel. He held out the cash without even really listening to the request.

“So you’ll ride with us?” Lisa gushed with a wide smile. “Really?”

“Guess so,” he mumbled, wishing he could get his head out of his ass for five minutes. The last thing he wanted to do was get on a damn carousel. He nudged Matt’s arm lightly. “Comin’, Red?”

Matt nodded and unfurled his cane.

After assuring the ride operator that Max wasn’t going to maul him and tying the pit to the fence post, the four of them found their places. Frank stood beside the pink maned horse that Frankie insisted upon, and somehow Lisa had convinced Matt to mount one right beside her a few feet behind them. In the end, they were all laughing and having a good time. As luck would have it, they were the only ones on it and the operator let them go round twice. This time, Matt and Frank settled on one of the bench seats while the kids rode the horses right in front of them. Frankie kept the mood high by coming up with some wild story about their horses being aliens trying to blend in with humans before taking over. The story continued even long after they got off the ride and headed down to where an old man was running an ice cream cart.

“Who needs Disney?” Matt chuckled during one of the longer breaks in the tale.

“If I could take you anywhere in the world, where would you want me to take you?” Frank asked, curiously.

“When I was a kid, they would bring in blind adults to the Lighthouse and they would talk to us about all of things that they’d done in their lives—you know; careers, accomplishments, travel, having families. It was the kind of thing meant to tell blind kids that they still could be anything they wanted, but the one thing that really stuck with me was when one woman talked about her trip to Provence for the lavender fields. She described it in such amazing detail. All of the scents, the way the wind sounded through the fields, and even how the air tasted like lavender. I’ve always wondered if it was everything she said it was,” Matt concluded wistfully.

Letting out a wry chuckle, Frank rolled his eyes. “France. I offer to give you the world, and you pick something as typical as France.”

“You said anywhere I wanted!” Matt cried in mock outrage. “Are you really backing out on our imaginary trip to France because it isn’t exotic enough?”

Kissing his forehead, Frank wrapped an arm around Matt’s shoulders. “Nah, Red. I said anywhere.”

By the time they made it back to the car, they were almost perfectly on target according to Frank’s plan. In the backseat, Frankie buckled himself into his booster and was out cold in less than five minutes. Max was snoring loudly with his head in Lisa’s lap as she dozed with her head against the window. Having passed out kids wasn’t part of the plan, but he’d made sure to keep walking down one path after another long after he normally would have called it a day. Hell, he’d even bought the kids stupid balloon animals from a vendor to kill time.

“Are we heading to the kitchen?” Matt asked softly after the car turned down a different street than normal. Silently damning the fact that for a blind guy Matt had one hell of a sense of direction, Frank gave a non committal grunt. Thankfully, it didn’t go any farther than that aloud. Judging by the suspicious frown on Matt’s face, he knew where they were headed but didn’t know why…at least, Frank prayed he didn’t know. Parking the car, Frank swore his head was spinning. He woke the kids and dog while Matt took an uncanny turn toward the gym.

Two steps before Fogwell’s door, he reached out and grabbed Matt’s hand. “Kids, go find Grandpa Jack.”

Matt’s frown deepened. “Frank, what’s going on? Why do I hear about a dozen people inside the gym?”

“I’ve got something I want to let everyone know, and I wanted to do it here,” he managed to answer through a throat he swore was closing up. “Think you can stand by my side, Red?”

Perplexed, Matt nodded and knotted his fingers through Frank’s. The walked side by side into the gym filled with all of the people closest to them in the world: Jack, the kids, Maria, Foggy, Father Lanthom, Josie, a couple of Frank’s war buddies and even Jeri from the firm. Not only was the room filled with people, but with Matt’s notoriously ugly flowers and a huge buffet table from the Taj complete with nearly Josie’s full run of cheap liquor and beer to wash it down. Without a word, Frank led Matt up the stairs and into the ring.

“So I’m sure you’ve all wondered why I brought you here today, folks,” Frank announced trying not to let his knees shake out from under him. “And I’m sure, Matt, you’re wondering even more than they are, but I wanted our entire family here for this...” Matt’s lips parted slightly as Frank sunk to one knee in front of the crowd, but he didn’t interrupt as Frank pulled the box from his back pocket. “Matthew Michael Murdock, you are the love of my life. Everything I have—my family, my friendships, and even my damn dog...everything is richer now that you are in my life. You fill in gaps that I didn’t even know I had. Will you be the second father to our children? Will you be the voice of reason when I go fucking crazy? Will you keep our dog company out when I’m out there chasing leads? Will you gang up on me with Maria? Will you let me join you and your father in the family pew at church? I guess what I am really asking is...” Frank opened the box and guided Matt’s finger tips to the platinum ring encrusted with strategically placed rubies. “Will you marry me, Red?”

At first, Matt didn’t say a word. He merely ran his finger tips across the braille inscription on the top of the ring. Then his jaw clenched tightly as he nodded. “I’ll be _‘Forever your Red.’_ ”

Springing off the mat like a rocket, Frank kissed Matt so deeply he almost hit his tonsils as their friends and family clapped and cheered. He wasted no time slipping the ring onto Matt’s finger and holding their laced fingers up high in a sign of victory.

Once he was able to speak again, Matt began to laugh. “I really thought you’d never ask.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

Epilogue: Happily Ever After

 

“Ready for this?” Jack asked for the dozenth time.

Toying with the silk vest of his tux, Matt let out a small grunt of agreement as he focused on trying to make sense of the sounds, scents and sudden gusts of motion that he was able to pick up on the other side of the doors. He wished there was some sort of sensei for blind guys with a few extra quirks, but aside from Zatoichi in the movies that kind of thing didn’t exist and he was left with a half formed idea of what was going on in the hotel’s grand ball room. He wondered if actually seeing the room full of family and friends would have made things any easier—he somehow doubted it. Matt was so caught up in his head that he hadn’t realized his father was speaking until a strong hand landed on his shoulder.

“Matty, I’m nervous as hell for you, and I ain’t getting married today. Gotta give you and Frank credit for not hopping town to a plane headed for Vegas,” his father teased. “And for fuck’s sake, kid, leave you’re vest alone. You’re gonna have a hell of a time getting your deposit back if you tear it to shreds.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Matt murmured, forcing himself to hold his hands still at his sides. Swallowing hard, he smiled anxiously. “I mean really— _thank you_. You’ve supported me through everything; the accident, school, and coming out, you were with me through all of it. I don’t think I could have made it this far without you.”

“Christ,” Jack swore with a heavy sniff. “Matty, you were the one supporting _me_! Being your father is the one thing in my life I am proud of. You don’t have thank me because being your father was an honor and a privilege. You taught me to me to fight for the good stuff.”

Unable to stop the tears from falling from his eyes, Matt leaned into his father strong arms. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, Matty. And so does the man your marrying today. I think he needs your strength every bit as much as I do.”

The door creaked open and Foggy poked his head in. “Guys, it’s time!”

 

Across the ballroom Frank paced in the little hallway behind his own set of doors. Lisa was sitting in an antique little chair that an adult probably would have crushed with her legs crossed watching him with an amused smirk. Even Frankie who attaching a red bow-tie to Max’s collar seemed to think it was funny that a man who had been shot at more times than he could count was sweating by the bucket full. Finally his daughter stood up with her hands on her hips. “Knock it off, Dad!” she commanded with as much force as a drill sergeant twice her size and three times her age. “There’s no need to freak out. You and Papa Matt have been married for like forever and just didn’t know it.”

“I’ll remind you not to nervous on your wedding day,” he snorted.

“You won’t need to, because I am never getting married,” she announced. Lisa rolled her eyes and tugged at the black sash around her floor length red dress. Sometimes she looked so adult, but right then damned if she wasn’t still his baby girl.

“I’m gonna get married!” Frankie piped in. “I’m gonna marry Jacey Price from Mrs. Cullen’s class. She likes dogs as much as I do.”

Frank let out a hearty laugh and ruffled his son’s hair. “Then I’ll remind you.”

The door swung open to reveal Maria dressed in an identical dress to Lisa’s. She grinned widely at the three of them. “Ready to give your Dad away, kids?” she asked.

They had decided that rather than have on of them play the “bride” and the other the “groom” that it made more sense for Jack to give Matt away while Lisa and Frankie did the same for Frank. Lisa and Foggy were the man and woman of honor while Max was playing the part of ring bearer with the bands secured tightly to his bow-tie. It was a bit of a cheesy set up, but one that seemed to fit for them. Maria took Max’s leash under her boquet and gave Frank a little wink as she took her place in front of him. The kid each linked an arm through their fathers and they began walking down the aisle.

The moment Frank’s eyes landed on Matt it felt like some one had punched him the gut. He could hardly believe that he was about to spend forever with this beautiful man. Though he’d grumbled more than once or twice about all of the bullshit that went into planning a big wedding, he was suddenly glad that everyone was there to see it. He doubted he’d believe his own memory of this day could be anything more than a dream. When they clasped hands at the alter, Frank knew this would be just like one of those stupid fairy tales. This was going to end “happily ever after.”

 


End file.
